Baseball cap attachment assembly

ABSTRACT

An attachable ornamental assembly ( 100 ) is disclosed, that is adapted for releasably connecting to a conventional baseball cap ( 90 ). The ornamental assembly ( 100 ) has a base ( 102 ) with a generally concave lower surface ( 104 ). The lower surface includes a central recess ( 106 ) that houses a connector ( 120 ), for example a rare earth magnet. The connector engages the cap button ( 94 ), in one embodiment pulling the button into the recess. The ornamental assembly also includes an ornamental member ( 130 ) that connects to the base, for example with a post ( 224 ) by a friction fit or the like. The ornamental member ( 130 ) may be removable, whereby a number of different ornamental members may be selectively attached to the base ( 102 ) and cap ( 90 ) at different times.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/702,698, filed Jul. 28, 2005, the disclosure of which is herebyexpressly incorporated by reference in its entirety, and priority fromthe filing date of which is hereby claimed under 35 U.S.C. §119.

BACKGROUND

The disclosed apparatus relates to hat mountable devices, and inparticular to devices mountable on baseball caps. Baseball caps areubiquitous at sporting events and gatherings of all kinds. The caps arefrequently decorated or embellished for amusement purposes, and todisplay an individuals personal interests, hobbies and/or sense ofhumor. Sometimes baseball caps are decorated with permanently attachedinsignia, for example by sewing on patches, stitching decorations, usingadhesives and the like.

Refer to FIG. 1, which shows a conventional baseball cap 90 with anattachable ornament assembly 100 made in accordance with the presentinvention. The conventional baseball cap 90 is a soft cap with a long,stiffened and curved visor or brim 92. The back of the cap often has amechanism for quick adjustment, although fitted caps are also common.The baseball cap 90 is typically sewn in sections, and is topped with afabric-covered metal button 94, which is typically formed from aferromagnetic material. Although the baseball cap 90 is historicallyassociated with baseball players, it is now arguably the most popularstyle of hat in the United States and many Western nations, and Japan.Baseball caps are made of may types of material and in a number ofdifferent styles. For example, major league baseball players wearclassic-style caps made of wool with their team's logo embroidered intothe wool.

Sometimes, the military uses baseball caps as part of the uniform,especially the United States Navy. In such applications, the baseballcap generally has a command logo on the front to denote commandaffiliation, and/or the baseball caps may be of a particular color toindicate a particular user's job.

It is sometimes desirable to removably mount a displayable object to acap. Examples of hat mountable devices are found, for example, in U.S.Pat. No. 6,874,167, US. Pat. Pub. No. 2003/0051317 and in US Pat. Pub.No. 2004/0006900. In some of the prior art devices the mountable deviceengages the button 94 on top of the baseball cap 90.

A common problem with prior art cap mounting systems that engage thebutton projection in a baseball cap is that they have a tendency toinadvertently de-attach or to pull the button of the cap sideways,causing the display element to tilt or tip over, and may also therebybecome uncomfortable to wear.

SUMMARY

An attachable ornamental assembly is disclosed that is particular suitedto attachment to a conventional baseball cap having a top button. Theornamental assembly includes a base with a concave lower surfacedefining a central recess. A magnet or other connector is disposed inthe central recess, and is adapted to engage the button on the baseballcap. It will be appreciated that in many conventional baseball caps thecentral button includes a ferrous metal member. An ornamental member isattachable to the base member.

In an embodiment of the invention, more than one ornamental member isattachable to the base, such that a user can selectively change from oneornamental member to another, for example to accommodate differentcircumstances.

In an embodiment of the invention, the connector is a rare earth magnetthat is adapted to pull the button of the baseball cap into the centralrecess of the base.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This summary is not intended to identify key features ofthe claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid indetermining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of thisinvention will become more readily appreciated as the same become betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description, whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hat mountable display according to thepresent invention, shown atop a conventional baseball cap;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the hat mountable display shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an alternate embodiment of the hat mountable display shown inFIG. 1, showing an alternate ornament; and

FIGS. 4A and 4B show alternative cap connectors for use with the hatmountable display shown in FIG. 1, that are not magnetic.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As mentioned above, FIG. 1 shows a baseball cap 90 with an attachableornamental assembly 100 shown above the baseball cap 90, positioned tobe placed on the cap 90 to engage the button 94. The attachableornamental assembly 100 is a relatively small, and lightweightstructure. For example in a current embodiment the ornamental assembly100 does not exceed about three inches in total height, width or length.

Refer now also to FIG. 2, which shows an exploded view of the attachableornamental assembly 100. In this embodiment the ornamental assemblyincludes a base 102, that is generally disc-shaped, and has a generallyconcave lower surface 104. It will be appreciated that the concave shapegenerally conforms to the shape of the baseball cap 90. A recess 106 isformed in the lower surface, generally centered therein. A connector120, for example a magnet is fixedly disposed in the central recess 106.The upper surface 108 of the base 102 includes an upwardly projectingfirst engagement element 110, for example a post or a cylindrical memberwith an axial aperture (post shown). The first engagement element 110 islocated generally above the connector 120.

An ornamental member 130, comprising an ornamental portion 132 and adownwardly-extending second engagement element 134 is attachable to thebase 102. For example, the second engagement element 134 mayconveniently comprise a cylindrical structure with an axial aperturethat is sized to snugly receive the first engagement element 100 on thebase 102. The ornamental member 130 may therefore be retained on thebase 102 by frictional forces between the first and second engagementmembers 110, 134. Alternatively, an adhesive may be used to joint thefirst and second engagement members 110, 134. In another alternative,the first and second engagement members 110, 134 may be threaded, suchthat they may threadably engage. It is also contemplated the first andsecond engagement members 110, 134 may include a keying element (notshown) such that the ornamental member 130 may be limited to aparticular orientation with respect to the base 102. These, and otherattachment mechanisms may be utilized, as will be apparent to persons ofskill in the art. It is also contemplated that the base 102 and theornamental member 130 may be formed as a unitary structure.

In a currently preferred embodiment, the connector 120 is a rare earthmagnet, for example, a neodymium-based permanent magnet. It is knownthat neodymium is used in very powerful permanent magnets, e.g.,Nd₂Fe₁₄B. These magnets are cheaper, lighter, and stronger thansamarium-cobalt magnets. Of course, if the connector 120 is a magnet theintended use of the ornamental assembly 100 will be to traditionalbaseball caps 90, i.e. baseball caps 90 having a button 94 including aferrous element that is attracted to the magnetic connector 120.

In one embodiment, the base 102 and ornamental member 130 are formedfrom polyethylene using a blow molded process to producer a verylightweight, and manufacturable product. Alternatively, the base 102 andornamental member 130 may be formed from a die cut foam or othersimilarly lightweight material. The ornamental member 130 may be formedin a variety of shapes and colors, for example to accommodate aparticular marketing motif or the like. The marketing motif may be tosports teams, schools, or other organizations, including utilizing aparticular, logo, mascot, sports equipment, tourist attraction, or othergeneral novelty item. It is contemplated that the ornamental member 130may be formed in the shape of a particular sports athlete's or othercelebrity's head, for example as a promotional giveaway to commemorate aparticular athlete and/or a milestone or other accomplishment by aparticular individual. Of course, the ornamental member 130 may bepainted or otherwise decorated to enhance its appearance, and/or todisplay team colors or the like.

It will be appreciated that the base 102 is relatively large in lateralextend, relative to the button 94 on the baseball cap 90, providing arelatively stable platform for the ornamental member 130. In aparticular embodiment the base 102 is generally disc-shaped with adiameter greater than about one and one-half inches. It will beappreciated that the base 102 may include indicia, for example text ordesign that is related to the ornamental member 130, or that indicatessponsorship, for example marketing-type indicia.

It is believed to be particularly advantageous in some embodiments toform the central recess 106 in the base 102 to have sufficient depth anddiameter to accommodate the button 94, in addition to the connector 120,particularly when the connector is a magnet. The button 94 is therebymechanically coupled to the base 102 in the lateral directions by virtueof generally abutting the boundaries of the base 102 defined by therecess 106.

A second embodiment of an attachable ornamental assembly 200 is shown inFIG. 3. This second embodiment shows a different ornamental member 230attached to the base 102 described above. It will be appreciated,therefore, that the base 102 may be provided with a plurality ofornamental members 230, allowing the user to select a particularornamental member 130, 230 to fit a particular occasion. For example, itis contemplated to provide a single base with different ornamentalmembers, one for each of the local professional sports franchises, or toprovide ornamental members caricaturing the heads of a number ofdifferent team members for a particular sports team. Variations on thistheme will be readily apparent to the skilled artisan, upon studying thedisclosure herein.

Although the currently preferred embodiment utilizes a connector 120comprising a magnet, it is also contemplated that other means forengaging the baseball cap button 94 may be utilized. FIGS. 4A and 4Bshow two representative alternative connectors 220, 320, that may beused rather than the magnetic connector 120, and may be particularlysuitable, for use with baseball caps that do not have a metal member inthe button 94.

FIG. 4A shows a connector 220 incorporated integrally into a base 202and having a generally concave recess 206 with a narrowed opening oraperture 222 at the bottom, that is sized to attach to the button 94 ofthe baseball cap 90 by a friction fit. The diameter of the aperture 222is slightly smaller than the diameter of the button 94, and theconnector 220 has sufficient elasticity to allow the button 94 to beforced through the aperture 222, to be releasably locked thereto. Theconnector 220 may include a post portion 224 that is sized to engage theornamental member 130 second engagement member 134 (FIG. 2).

FIG. 4B shows a connector 320 comprising a clip having a generallyU-shaped or C-shaped lower portion 322 that is sized to clip or slidebeneath the button 94, and an upper portion 323 that includes anupwardly-extending post portion 324 that is sized to engage and attachto the recess 106 in the base 102, for example by a friction fit, orwith appropriate threading (not shown). Other connection mechanisms willbe apparent to persons of skill in the art.

While illustrative embodiments have been illustrated and described, itwill be appreciated that various changes can be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

1. A attachable ornamental assembly adapted to be attached to a baseballcap having a top button, the ornamental assembly comprising: a basehaving a concave lower surface with a central recess, and an uppersurface having a first engagement element; a connector disposed in thecentral recess of the base element, the connector adapted to releasablyengage the baseball cap top button; and a first ornamental member havinga second engagement element that engages the first engagement element,to releasably connect the first ornamental member to the base element.2. The ornamental assembly of claim 1, wherein the base is generallydisc-shaped with a diameter greater than about one and one-half inches.3. The ornamental assembly of claim 1, wherein the connector comprises amagnet.
 4. The ornamental assembly of claim 3, wherein the magnet is arare-earth magnet.
 5. The ornamental assembly of claim 1, furthercomprising a second ornamental member that is interchangeable with thefirst ornamental member.
 6. The ornamental assembly of claim 1, whereinthe connector is adapted to retain the button in the recess when theconnector engages the baseball cap top button.
 7. The ornamentalassembly of claim 1, wherein the connector is a generally concave memberwith a narrowed opening that is sized to attach to the baseball cap topbutton by a friction fit.
 8. The ornamental assembly of claim 7, whereinthe narrowed opening of the concave member is smaller than the baseballcap top button, and further wherein the concave member is sufficientlyelastic to receive the baseball cap top button.
 9. The ornamentalassembly of claim 1, wherein the connector is a clip having a generallyC-shaped lower portion that is sized to engage the baseball cap topbutton, and an upper portion that includes an upwardly-extending postthat is sized to engage the recess in the base.